Cleaning Up a Fallen Tree
Clean-up continues today at my Bedford, New York farm after torrential rains pounded through the Northeast over the weekend. I hope you saw the photos on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48.
It’s heartbreaking to see the many images of areas ravaged by this storm. In many regions of New England and the Northeast, this recent rain caused flash flooding, deluged roadways, and thousands of power outages. Fortunately, my farm escaped major damage. There was extensive runoff on the carriage roads, trees hit by lightning, and trees completely uprooted from the oversaturated soil, but everything here can be fixed, and my outdoor grounds crew is working very hard to get things back into shape. If you were in this recent storm, I hope you and your families are safe.
Here are are some photos.
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- I have four miles of carriage road at the farm and much of it suffered water runoff generated from all the fast-moving rain that flowed over the roads and into the landscape. A lot of the gravel is everywhere is shouldn’t be. Soon after the rain, we placed larger stones in the crevices left by the rushing water. It will all be recovered by gravel.
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- The rain came down fast and furious, causing overflowing waters all over.
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- This tree was struck by lightning. One can see the darkened charred bark.
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- There was ponding everywhere.
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- Here’s another part of the carriage road where water rushed through it taking away much of the gravel.
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- And here’s a tree that had completely toppled over because of the oversaturated soil.
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- Fortunately, the tree fell on another maple which was strong and stable – it kept the tree from falling onto my guest house.
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- Here is the base of the fallen tree – look at how it has totally come out of the ground.
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- The first step was to cut off the smaller branches. Pasang is an excellent tree man. He works efficiently and safely to remove the branches with the chainsaw.
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- Pasang is using STIHL’s HTA 85 Telescopic Pole Pruner and STIHL’s MS 271 Farm Boss chainsaw. We use many of STIHL’s products here at the farm – they are very lightweight and easy to maneuver.
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- Then from the safety of the Hi-Lo cage, Pasang tackles larger limbs and sections of the trunk.
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- Each section falls from the tree to the ground below – everyone keeping their distance for safety.
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- This is what is left of the base of the tree after the rest has been cut apart. Maple, Acer, is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. There are approximately 132 species, most of which are native to Asia, with a number also from Europe, northern Africa, and North America. It is a creamy white hardwood that sometimes has a reddish tinge. It is also a very heavy wood, so breaking it apart first is crucial.
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- Chhiring is my outdoor grounds crew foreman. He is an excellent driver and operates all the large machinery at the farm. Here he is operating the Hi-Lo to carry parts of the tree to the nearby dump truck.
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- I am so grateful that this tree cushioned the fall and saved the nearby structure from any damage…
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- … thank you, thank you, thank you.
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- All these logs are from the one tree – it was very large.
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- And look, watching from above is this hawk – it stayed quite awhile. Perhaps it is nesting in one of the nearby trees.
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- Here comes the Hi-Lo to loosen the base from its location in the soil. Chhiring wraps a chain around the trunk and moves it slightly until it is completely separated from the soil. I always feel bad when I lose trees on the farm. Trees are important to our environment – they are the world’s single largest source of breathable oxygen. Trees absorb carbon dioxide and potentially harmful gasses, and they create an ecosystem to provide needed habitat and food for birds and other animals. However, occasionally trees fall or need to be removed.
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- And this is what was uncovered. The tree was actually unwell – half of it was already dead and deteriorating leaving no roots whatsoever. Underneath was a rush of water nearly 24-hours after the deluge.
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- Chhiring pulled it out in two pieces – here is the very bottom. Now the tree is completely removed.
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- Meanwhile, Pasang removes any broken branches from the standing tree.
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- Phurba brings the branches down the carriage road to the chipper. I am fortunate to have all the necessary equipment here at my farm. It is important to clear the debris as it is being cut to prevent any injuries during the process. The chipper is directed to the woodland, so all the cut pieces are used as top dressing right away.
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- By the afternoon, the area is clear of the fallen tree, and this one is looking great. Another job well-executed and completed. There is still much to do around the farm, but we made great progress, thanks to my hardworking crew. this task is now “done and dusted.”
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